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50,000 Expected For First Night Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The New Year’s Eve party in downtown Pittsburgh could be one of the largest ever.

About 50,000 people are expected to ring in the new year and officials say the more the merrier.

“We’ve really done a lot to make sure we welcome the 30,000 extra Winter Classic visitors that will be in town,” Kathryn Heinemann, an organizer, said.

The festivities will include something for everyone. If you’re a fan of R&B soul music, the group Tower of Power will be headlining this year.

If that’s not your speed, don’t worry.

“We have over 150 events taking place all around the cultural district,” Heinemann said.

She says 90 percent of the events will be indoors and all you need to get in is a First Night button.

First Night is a family-friendly celebration and there’s no alcohol, but they will have fireworks.

“We have two fireworks shows – the Dollar Bank children’s fireworks and the Highmark Fireworks and the Future of Pittsburgh grand finale,” Heinemann said. “We have a lot of great programming that ties in to the Winter Classic, it includes a Classic Winter Wonderland parade.”

First Night starts at 6 p.m. and ends at midnight with the raising of the ball.